Designing for Digital

One of the most common questions I hear is whether designing a digital billboard is much different than designing a traditional vinyl billboard. Technically, the answer is no. Digital billboards are capable of displaying any color imaginable, and during the day they're almost indistinguishable from traditional billboards. However, there are certain things you can do to take advantage of the unique qualities of the LED technology.

First and foremost, remember that you're literally painting with light. The face of the billboard is made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny light bulbs which recreate the image that you've designed digitally. Embrace this fact by starting with a black background. When you see black on a digital billboard, you're seeing the absence of any lights, so anything you place on top of this canvas will stand out prominently. Conversely, white backgrounds are created by burning all the bulbs at maximum intensity, so anything you add will be inherently dimmer than the background itself.

Another point to consider, is that sunspots, glares and polished or beveled edges will add a dynamic new dimension to your layout. This is because they are being reproduced with actual light, instead of a painter's rendition of what light looks like. As always, remember the cardinal rule for designing any outdoor ad; "Simple is better!" It would be a shame to ruin the beautiful, backlit canvas of a digital billboard by adding a ton of unnecessary copy. After all, you can rotate as many designs as you want, so why not break it up and keep each design simple?